Water CrisisSpotlight Content

Sudan faces ecological crises like water scarcity and desertification. Rural Sudanese are displaced often by changing landscapes and a lack of
agricultural production. The demand for water increases, but its availability to the country's inhabitants continually remains low. Access to water is
needed, as much of Sudan's country has become neglected.

The livelihood of Sudan depends on its excess use of its water sources. Eighty percent of the country works in agriculture, which accounts for 97% of its water use. Most
farms are rural and fed by rainwater. They provide for a family or a small community, making them the majority means of living for the Sudanese. Yet,
their farming practices are hurting the environment. Much of Sudan's land is cultivated by
mechanized farming
. This intense agricultural system has reduced arable soil, and according the United Nations Environment Programme, has caused desertification to spread. The irrigation used to feed the mechanized
farms and intense cultivation
by rural Sudanese are causal to the arid environment diffusing over Sudan.

Women and children must devote the most time in their days to gather water from distant sources. They risk their health
and safety by bearing frequent trips to a well remote from their home. Additionally, the women lose productivity from other domestic duties. In Sudan
about two percent of water is available for domestic use (In the
United States, water for domestic use accounts for 13% of total
supply).

The Sudanese are at high risks for contracting waterborne diseases. In 2006 there were 476 deaths caused by diarrhoea in just five months, with Cholera-causing bacterium
present in stool samples. Similarly, the Darfur region had 3753 reported cases of hepatitis E from May to August 2004. Contaminated drinking
water may also cause Dracunculiasis, or Guinea Worm Disease. It can rapidly affect a water
supply for a village by one infected person, harming the total area. Three out of five cases of Guinea Worm Disease come from Sudan. Open water
sources, such as standing ponds, are common modes of transferring diseases in villages.

Environmental changes have left the Sudanese to struggle for their own survival. The country strains to provide clean, accessible water to all regions.

The Water Project has twenty missions to build wells in Sudan that are either in development or have been completed. This well was built for St. Bartholomew's Orphanage, where it
now provides clean water for 130 orphans in Southern Sudan. More plans will offer accessible water for thousands of Sudanese.